No Money for Eco-Friendly? Can't Even Provide Smart Aquaculture Training?

Moon Geum-ju: "Aquaculture Technology Training Remains Theoretical"

Assemblyman Moon Geum-ju

The eco-friendly and smart aquaculture technology education project, implemented to create a sustainable fishing environment amid the climate crisis and to increase the income and stabilize the livelihoods of fish farmers, has been confirmed to mostly remain at the beginner level, focusing on theoretical education due to budget shortages.

Eco-friendly and smart aquaculture is mainly installed on land and is suitable for responding to high-temperature damage in aquaculture caused by climate change. However, the technology education project has been unable to select all applicants each year due to budget shortages and has concentrated only on theoretical education.

According to data submitted by the Korea Fisheries Infrastructure Public Corporation to Moon Geum-ju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Goheung·Boseong·Jangheung·Gangjin), the budget for the eco-friendly and smart aquaculture technology education project, which was 1.09 billion KRW until 2021, was reduced by about 10% from 2022, being set at 981 million KRW. This year, the related budget slightly increased to 990 million KRW but remains insufficient.

Accordingly, among 40 applicants for the intermediate course of eco-friendly and smart aquaculture technology education this year, only 22 were able to attend, and for the advanced course, 17 applied but only 8 were finally selected.

Rep. Moon stated, “Activation of eco-friendly and smart aquaculture is necessary to respond to high-temperature damage in aquaculture,” and pointed out, “The related budget should be secured to provide more opportunities to fish farmers.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.